Selective signaling.



H. 0. RUGH L C. S. RHOADS, JE.

SELECTIVB SIGNALING. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 1B, 1910.

Patented Oct. 15,1912.

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HARRY O. RUGII AND CHARLES STANLEY RHOADS, JR., OF SANDWICH, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOBS TO SANDWICH ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SANDWICH, ILLINOIS, A COR-PORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SELECTIV E SIGNALING.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

Application led August 18, 1910. Serial No. 577,754.

tems, and is more particularly applicable to such systems when used tocall a plurality of stations selectively from a given central station,all of which stations are united by a suitable line circuit.

Our invention contemplates a plurality of substations having impulseelements and provided with means for stepping said elements to a givendesired position to thereby selectively call any desired station. Ateach impulse mechanism likewise. means are provided which are slowacting in their nature and which control locking-means for t-he impulsemechanism. rJ'he slow acting means desirably maintain the lockingdevices normally out of engagement with the impulse mechanism andassociate said locking means with the impulse mechanism only when astation is being` called. Upon completion of the signal sending currentthe slow acting means again resume their former position, in which case,the locking devices are disen gaged from the impulse mechanism andpermit restoration of said impulse mechanisms to their normal or Zeroposition.

The slow acting means which we use in accordance with our invention areelectromagnetic in character and are selectively responsive to currentsof different electrical character, whereas all of the stepping up meansare operated with all of the diHerent characters of current which areused to selectively operate the slow acting means. Under theseconditions a given character of current will operate a given group ofimpulse mechanisms, and a different character of current will operate afurther group of impulse mechanisms, thus serving to control a pluralityof groups of impulse mechanisms. By reason of this the number ofstepping operations necessary to call one of a plurality of substationsis reduced in proportion to the number of groups into which a system isdivided. The slow acting means which we prefer to employ are providedwith closed circuited secondaries. In the form illustrated herein we usepolarized electromagnetic means of slow acting character so thatpositive impulses will operate one group of stations and negativeimpulses will operate the next group all as will more clearly appearfrom the description which follows in connection with the accompanyingdrawing illustrating one embodiment of our invention.

In a divisional application filed J an. 20, 1911, Serial No. 603,699 wehave set forth and broadly claimed the electromagnetic device herein.

We here illustrate a central station A, substations B and C forming onegroup, and substations D and E forming another group. At the centralstation we have t-wo sets of batteries l and 2 which in connection withpush buttons 3 and 4 are designed to furnish as desired positive ornegative current in bridge of the line conductors 5 and 6 which in thisinstance unite all of the stations together. At all of the substationsthe equipment is similar excepting that the connections are reversed inone group from those in the other group as will be explainedhereinafter. At each of the substations, we show a step-up wheel 7carrying a pointer 8 arranged to contact with a spring 9. The arms 8 atthe various stations are displaced angularly so that different numbersof impulses will call different stations. A bell 10, or other suitablesignal controlling means, is arranged in circuit with the spring 9 andthis bell is of a slow acting character so that the rapid passingcontact established when the arm 8 passes the spring 9 without stoppingthere as it does when that particular station is called, will notoperate said bell. A stop l1 determines the zero position of the ele*ment 7, and a spiral spring 12 tends to rotate the elements clockwise totheir limiting positions. The element 7 as will be seen, is normallyunder no influence except that of the spring 12. A locking pawl 13however, is designed to enter the teeth of the element 7 upon properenergization of the magnet 14. This magnet has a centrally pivotedarmature 15 under the influence of a permanent polarized magnet 16 andis normally pushed upwardly at its left hand extremity 17, thus tomaintain the locking pawl 13 out of engagement with the teeth of theelement 7. This magnet- 14 has a winding 18 preferably consisting of twocoils, which is connected. by means of the conductor 19 to the conductor20, and whose other terminal is connected by means of the conductor 21to a terminal of the step-up magnet 22. The other terminal of the stepupmagnet 22 is connected directly with the line conductor G in thestations B and C by means of the conductor 23. The conductors 19 and 2Opreferably unite in a conductor 24, which at stations B and C isconnected to the line conductor A conductor 25 unites the conductor 23with a front contact 26 adapted for engagement with armature 27 of themagnet 22. The armature 27 carries a step-up pawl 28 which normallytends to push downwardly but is held away from the teeth of the element7 by a small but-ton interposed between the said step-up pawl 28 and thelocking pawl 13, thus when there is no current in the winding of themagnet 14, the spring 17 pushes the left hand extremity upwardly therebyremoving the locking pawl 13 from the teeth of the impulse element 7 andalso moves away therefrom the stepping-up pawl 28. The stepping-up pawl28, of course, is of a springy nature so that when the proper current inthe winding of the magnet 14 permits the attraction of its armature soas to move it in a contraclockwise direction, whereby its locking pawl13 engages the teeth of the element 7, then the stepping-up pawl 28follows and also engages these teeth.

The conductor 29 unites the armature 27 with the pointer 8. At stationsB and C the conductor 24 is connected to the line wire 5 and conductor23 is connected to line wire 6, whereas at stat-ions D and E conductor23 is connected to line wire 5, and conductor 24 to line wire 6. Thewindings of the magnets 14 are all in the same direction so that thisdiagrammatic arrangement will serve to illustrate that for instance,positive current will operatively attract the armature 15 against thetension of the spring 17 at the stations B and C, and negative currentwill operatively attract the armatures 15 against the spring 17 atstations D and E, whereas the opposite polarity in the labove cases willleave the armat-ures respectively in the positions they normally occupyas shown. Therefore when battery 1 is used the group of stations ofwhich B and C are symbolic operate, and battery 2 will operate stationsD and E.

The magnets 14 have short circuited shells 30 on their cores so as tomake them slow acting and this is for the following purpose. The firstimpulse of the desired polarity is sufficiently long to operativelyattract the armatures 15 of that group of stations with- `teeth of theelement 7 throughout the step- `ping operation. The last impulse ismaintained a given length of time so that ele- ;ments 8 and 9 remain incontact, thereby to :effectively call a signal 10. After the curlrent isremoved from the line the spring 17 restores the armature 15 to normal,thereby removes the pawl 28 from the teeth of the `element 7,'and thespring 12 restores the element to normal against its stop 11.

It will be seen that the winding of the `:magnet 22 is in series withthe winding 18 l of the magnet 14, thus that they receive the inparallel `same impulses, although of course, equivalent arrano'ementssuch as putting the two across the line circuit would serve the samepurpose. When the contact is established between the elements 8 and 9,circuit is maintained from conductor 6 through conductor 23, conductor25, armature 27, conductor 29, elements 8 and 9, signal 10, conducto-r20, and conductor 24 to the line wire 5, thus connecting the bell 10 inbridge of the line conductors to thereby receive current direct from thecentral station.

Vhile we have herein shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of our invention, we do not mean to limit ourselves to theprecise construction and arrangement as herein set forth, but

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A selective signaling system having a central station and two groupsof substations united by a common line circuit, means at the centralstation for impressing currents of dierent electrical character on saidline circuit, a selective impulse mechanism at each substation, means ateach mechanism for stepping up said mechanism, holding means for saidmechanism, a polarized release magnet to control said holding means, therelease magnets of one group operating with one character of current andthe release magnets of the other oroup operating with a differentcharacter of current.

2. A selective signaling system having a central station and two groupsof substations united by a common line circuit, means at the centralstation for impressing currents of different electrical character onsaid line circuit, a selective impulse mechanism at each substation,means at each mechanism for stepping up said mechanism,

holding means for said mechanism, a release magnet to control saidholding means, the release magnets of one group operating with onecharacter of current and the release magnets of the other groupoperating with a dierent character of current.

3. A selective signaling system having a central station and two groupsof substations united by a common line circuit, means at the centralstation for impressing currents of different polarity on said linecircuit, a selective impulse mechanism at each substation, means at eachmechanism for stepping up said mechanism, holding means for saidmechanism, a polarized release magnet to control said holding means, therelease magnets of one group operating with one polarity of current. andthe release magnets of the other group operating with the other polarityof current.

4. A selective signaling system having a central station and two groupsof substations united by a common line circuit., means at the centralstation for impressing currents of different polarity on said linecircuit, a selective impulse mechanism at each substation, means at eachmechanism for stepping up said mechanism, holding means for saidmechanism, a release magnet to control said holding means, the releasemagnets of one group operating with one polarity of current and therelease mag nets oi' the other group operating with the other polarityof current.

5. A selective signaling system having a central station and `two groupsof substations united by a common line circuit, means at the centralstation for impressing currents of dierent electrical character on saidline circuit, a selective impulse mecha- 40 nism at each substation,means at each mechanism for stepping up said mechanism, holding meansfor said mechanism normally not in engagement therewith, a polarizedrelease magnet to control said holding means, the release magnets of onegroup operating with one character of current and the release magnets ofthe other group operating with a di'Herent character of current.

6. A selective signaling system having a central station and two groupsof substations united by a common line circuit, means at the centralstation :to-r impressing currents of different electrical character onsaid line circuit, a selective impulse mechanism at each substation,means at each mechanism for stepping up said mechanism, holding meansfor said mechanism normally not in engagement therewith, a releasemagnet to control said holding means, the release magnets of one groupoperating with one character of current and the release magnets of theother group operating with a dierent character of' current.

ln witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 13th day ofAug.,

HARRY 0. RUGH. CHARLES STANLEY RHOADS, JR.

Witnesses:

HAZEL JONES, A. LYDA JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

